Library division & collection with this item:

View this item elsewhere:

Title
Whistling Rufus
Additional title: Don't make no blunder, you couldn't lose him. [first line of chorus]
Additional title: Way down south where the sly old possum hides in the sycamore tree. [first line of song]
Names
Cooley, Lee (Lyricist)
Mills, Kerry, 1869-1948 (Composer)
Barbelle, 1888-1957 (Cover designer)
Smith, Sydney (Lyricist)
Collection

American popular songs

Sheet music, 1899

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1899 (Inferred)
Place: New York
Publisher: F.A. Mills ; Paull-Pioneer Music Co.
Library locations
Music Division
Topics
Songs
African American men
African American musicians
Genres
Scores
Notes
Content: Summary: The narrator describes Rufus Blossom, an African American man who is known to be an excellent guitar player; he walks miles to play at parties, enabling them to have a festive time; he's still remembered to this day.
Content: Cover design by Barbelle includes drawing of an elderly African American man leaning on a wooden fence, while he envisions a cotton plantation with African Americans tending to the field.
Statement of responsibility: words by Lee Cooley and Sydney Smith ; music by Kerry Mills.
Date: Copyright dates: 1899, 1952
Physical Description
Extent: 4 p. ; 31 cm.
Type of Resource
Notated music
Languages
English
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b10826013
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21736880
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21738653
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): d5120aa0-c595-012f-e288-58d385a7bc34
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1899: Issued
  • 2016: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "Whistling Rufus" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1899. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/97762c50-cf8c-dbd1-e040-e00a18062564

Chicago/Turabian Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "Whistling Rufus" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/97762c50-cf8c-dbd1-e040-e00a18062564

APA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. (1899). Whistling Rufus Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/97762c50-cf8c-dbd1-e040-e00a18062564

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/97762c50-cf8c-dbd1-e040-e00a18062564 | title= (notated music) Whistling Rufus, (1899) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=March 28, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Whistling Rufus